JOOTRH Partners with Nairobi West Hospital to Offer Advanced Therapy for Sickle Cell Patients

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) is set to begin offering red blood cell exchange (RBCx) therapy starting September 1, 2025.

This will be the first time the therapy is available at the facility, following the acquisition of an apheresis machine made possible through technical support from Nairobi West Hospital.

The development marks turning point in the fight against sickle cell disease in Kenya.

The RBCx procedure is a nonsurgical, advanced treatment that replaces abnormal red blood cells in sickle cell patients with healthy donor cells.

This significantly improves oxygen delivery in the body, reducing complications and improving quality of life for patients, especially in regions with high sickle cell disease burden such as western Kenya.

The new service will be provided at Victoria Hospital, JOOTRH’s specialized sickle cell and hematology centre. It is part of a broader initiative to improve outcomes for patients in Kisumu and surrounding counties, an area that bears a disproportionately high prevalence of sickle cell disease.

The Social Health Authority (SHA) will support the initiative by subsidizing treatment costs for patients, making the life-saving procedure more accessible to low-income families.

The Nairobi West Hospital, which runs Kenya’s only Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Unit, will play a key role in the project by deploying specialists to train JOOTRH staff and oversee the therapy’s rollout.

Established in October 2022, The Nairobi West Hospital’s BMT Unit has conducted a series of bone marrow transplants with a 100 per cent success rate over the past two years.

It remains the only facility in the country to offer this complex treatment locally, significantly reducing dependence on foreign hospitals for critical care, particularly in India.

Dr. Kibet Shikuku, Medical Director at The Nairobi West Hospital, said the collaboration aims to “build local capacity and reduce outbound medical referrals by providing high-end, life-saving interventions within Kenya.”

Dr .Richard Lesiyampe, the CEO of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Training and Referal Hospital, has welcomed the move, saying it could be a game-changer for thousands of patients who previously had to travel abroad for treatment or faced long waiting periods at overstretched public facilities.

As the country steps up investment in specialized care, the partnership between JOOTRH and The Nairobi West Hospital signals a shift toward decentralized, affordable, and sustainable healthcare solutions, with long-term benefits for patients and the national health system.